Improvement in flash light-signals



w. MITCHELL & 1. Flash-Light Signals.

MAYO.

fiwverz/tons'.

i- -iili WILLIAM MITCHELL, OF LONDON, AND JOHN JOSEPH MAYO, OF BEN-HILTON, SUTTON, ENGLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN FLASH LIGHT-SIGNALS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 141,010, dated July 22,1873; application filed May 24, 1873.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that W6,WILLIAM MITCHELL, of London, and JOHN JOSEPH MAYO,of Benhilton, Sutton, Surrey county, England, have invented certainImprovements in Signal Apparatus for giving flashes of light ofdifferthe sides or top of the lantern. One of these screens has carriedglasses, of one or more colors, so that either one or other coloredglass can, by turning the soreen,be brought behind the lens of thelantern and govern the color of the light. The other screen has been adark screen, which could be turned into a position to cut off allpassage of light to the lens. According to our invention we mount uponthe top of a hollow stem a lantern fitted,

as above described, with two internal screens.

The bottom of the lattern is at its center attached to the top of thehollow tubular stem, and in order to be able to revolve the screens twoconcentric tubes or a tube and rod passing up through the stem areemployed. One tube is attached at its upper end to the bottom of one ofthe revolving screens, while the other tube or the rod is attached tothe bottom of the other revolving screen 5 and to the lower end of thetube and of the rod handles are attached, by which they can be turnedtogether with the screens carried by them.

' The bottom of the tubular stem which carries 'the lantern is fixed tothe center of a disk,

which at vits circumference is attached to a second disk at a shortdistance from it.

When the signal apparatus is to be used on board ship the second diskhas projecting downward from its center a stem suitable for beingdropped into sockets or gimbals, which may be fixed to the ship oneither side and at the stem and stern, so that the lantern may be set upin whichever position may at any time be most suitable for signalingfrom. The handles, which are attached to the inner tube and rod, projectout between the disks before mentioned at the lower end of the stem. Thetubular stem may be of any desired length so as to elevate the lanternto any desired extent above the man who is to work the handles at itslower end.

By the above-described arrangement a very cheap and simple apparatus isobtained, suitable for signaling by flashes of light of various colors,so that signals may be transmitted at night .by the international ,codeeither from one ship to another or between a ship and land, in the samemanner as day-signals are transmitted by diEerent-colored flags.

The drawings hereunto annexed show a signal apparatus constructed asabove described. Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, and Fig.2 is a horizontal section of the same taken on the line 1 1, Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2 2, Fig. 1, and Fig. 4is an under-side view of the upper disk F.

A is the outer casing of the lantern, fast- ,FFIGE.

glasses, or other colors might be used. The disks which form the bottomsof the two screens have slots cut through them for the pin b to 'passthrough. These slots are of sufficient length to allow each screen to beturned to the requisite extent. The tubular stem B at its lower endscrews into a socket on the disk F. The screen D, which is the darkscreen is connected to the top of a tube, d, which passes down throughthe stem B, and has a handle, D", attached to it at its lower end. Thescreen E which carries the colored glasses is similarly connected to arod or tube, 6, passing down through the tube d, and has a handle, Eattached to its lower end. The disk F, as shown by the drawing, has aprojection, F upon it, which rests on the lower disk G, and is connectedto it by bolts, as shown by the drawing. A rod or tube, H, screws into asocket on the under side of this disk and forms a stem, which may bedropped into sockets or gimbals wherever the lantern is to be set up; orif the lantern is not required to be movable the disk G might beotherwise secured wherever it is desired to set up the lantern.

When signaling by the apparatus above described, any desired number ofconsecutive flashes, either of a white, red, or green light, may begiven. When flashes of white light are to be given the handle E isturned into the position shown at Figs. 1 and 3, and flashes of lightare given by turning away the dark screen by its handle D from behindthe lens of the lantern, in which position it is shown in the drawing,and then again turning it back to again shut off the passage of light,and any number of flashes may be thus given. To give flashes of redlight the red glass of the screen E is brought behind the lens byturning the handle E to the left side until it comes against the stop F,and flashes of light are then given by working the handle D*, as aboveexplained. If flashes of green light are to be given, the handle E" issimilarly turned in the opposite direction-that is to say, to therightuntil it comes against the other side of the stop F.

To transmit signals by flashes of differentcolored light we employconsecutive flashes of light of one or more colors, in the manner shownby the following table, to represent the several signal-letters for theinternational code which is now in general use. By an arbitrarycombination of two, three, or four of these letters, which arerepresented by flags during the day and by flashes of light at night, asnow proposed, universal signals are made by ships at sea, and bysignal-stations signification on shore, which have the same in alllanguages.

'HITE. RED GREEN.

H =44 I I 5:: E Li 5% E g '3 2 e 7 Pi E E E a 5,3 5 r; a}? a :3 ng 5'41w "-1 =1 M Z w Z I!) z w l B 1 J 1 Q 2 O 2 K 2 It 3 l) 3 L 3 S 4 F 4 M 4T 5 G 5 N 5 V 6 H 6 P 6 W Examples.

Q. 1 flash, green; interval equal to 3flashes.

H. 6 flashes,white; interval equal to 3 flashes.

M. 4. flashes, red; interval equal to 3 flashes.

F. 4 flashes, white interval equal to 3 flashes, and then open redlight, as directed in the instructions.

Q H M F: Briton of Southampton.

Owners: Union Steam-Shipping Company.

P. 6 flashes, red; interval equal to 3 flashes.

Q. 1 flash, green; interval equal to 3 flashes.

Gr- 5 flashes, white; interval equal to 3 flashes, and then open redlight, as directed in instructions. I

P Q G: Report me to my owners.

The apparatus hereinbefore described for signaling by flashes of lightis applicable not only for signaling by the code or system abovedescribed, but also by other codes or systems for transmitting signalsbyflashes of differentcolored light.

Having thus described the nature of our invention, and the manner ofperforming the same, we would have it understood that what we claim asour improvements in signal apparatus for giving flashes of light ofdifferent colors, is-

The lantern A, hollow supportingpost B, disks F and G, screens D and E,tubes d and e, and levers I) and E when constructed as shown, andcombined to operate substantially as and for the purpose specified.

WILLIAM MITCHELL. JNO. J. MAYO.

Witnesses for W. MITCHELL:

(J. I. COTTINGHAM, Barrister-at-Lazr,

Bromley, Kent.

THOMAS MOORE,

4 Canterbury Terrace, (lat brd, Kent.

Witnesses for J. J. M mm:

H. H. DUTY,

of 15 Bury Street, St. J'mness. P. S. JAOKSON,

23 Oxford Terrace, S. W.

